Titch
29-09-2007, 07:31 AM
Lewis Hamilton produced a spectacular last-gasp lap to snatch pole position away from McLaren team-mate and title rival Fernando Alonso at Fuji Speedway.
Quote from www.itv.com/f1 (http://www.itv.com/f1)
http://www.itv-f1.com/images/static/spacer.gifhttp://www.itv-f1.com/ImageLibrary/44919_1.jpg (javascript:openwin('Popups/Photo.aspx?IM_ID=44919','',770,550,'yes');) Lewis Hamilton produced a sensational last gasp lap at a slippery Fuji and grabbed a vitally important pole position from his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso.
With just two points between them in the championship showdown and Alonso having inexorably gained ground on Hamilton in recent weeks, the British rookie knew how significant this pole position could be - and celebrated it like a victory on his slowing down lap.
It had not looked so promising for Hamilton earlier in qualifying.
Despite fears that the low cloud would force the session to be postponed, qualifying began on time but in treacherously wet conditions.
While Alonso and Felipe Massa traded fastest times in Q1, Hamilton was shuffled right down to 18th and looked to be in real danger of missing the cut until hauling himself up to a safe fourth with his last run.
Having found his feet, Hamilton then led the way in Q2, beating Alonso to the fastest time by half a tenth.
With conditions only marginally improved by the time Q3 began, it looked for a long time like the 1m25.539s lap that Alonso had set while still laden with fuel might stand as pole position.
Hamilton made an early stop for fresh intermediate Bridgestones, but was 0.243s slower than Alonso, and failed to improve with his next run.
Then with his last lap of the session Alonso improved his time by 0.101s, making the challenge even harder for Lewis.
With Hamilton making a very late final pit visit for a slightly worn set of intermediates, Kimi Raikkonen appeared to be Alonso's main rival for pole, but disrupted by traffic and a slight gearbox problem, the Ferrari was 0.078s slower.
Down in fourth place, the pressure was on Hamilton as he crossed the line to start an all-or-nothing lap just before the chequered flag.
He set the fastest time of all in the first sector, extended his margin over Alonso to 0.2s in the middle third (where Raikkonen had been fastest of all), and then did just enough in the last split to snatch pole by 0.070s despite having to swerve around a slower-moving car on the pits straight.
Behind the all-McLaren front row, the Ferraris claimed third and fourth - Raikkonen 0.2s clear of Massa.
Wet conditions always give underdog heroes a chance to surprise, and in Japan it was renowned rain ace Jenson Button and Toro Rosso rookie Sebastian Vettel who rose to the occasion.
While Rubens Barrichello could only manage 17th even in the wet, Button hustled the Honda up to seventh behind Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg - and with the Williams set to drop to 16th due to an engine change penalty, Jenson will start a season-best sixth.
Vettel started qualifying with a quick spin but regained his composure to surge through Q1 and Q2 with ease - giving Toro Rosso its first ever top ten start.
He was ninth fastest, behind Mark Webber, and just four tenths of a second from a top five spot.
Robert Kubica completed the top ten, lapping 0.7s slower than Heidfeld in the second BMW.
It was a bad day for last year's Japanese Grand Prix winner Renault, as Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen struggled to 11th and 12th, ahead of David Coulthard and Jarno Trulli - the Italian's run of nine top ten starts coming to an end.
Vitantonio Liuzzi was out-classed by team-mate Vettel, lapping a second slower in Q2 and remaining 15th.
Ralf Schumacher was responsible for the most spectacular incident of the session, as he tripped over Sakon Yamamoto at the chicane late in Q1.
The Toyota bounced off the Spyker and landed with heavy rear end damage, so even though Schumacher had made the cut for Q2, he would have to watch the session and stay in 16th.
The weather failed to change Alex Wurz's dismal qualifying form - he will start 18th in the second Williams.
Contrary to expectations, Anthony Davidson, Adrian Sutil and Takuma Sato didn't manage to out-perform their cars in the wet and will start in 19th, 20th and 21st.
Sato is part of an all-Japanese back row on home turf, alongside Yamamoto.
But with the unpredictable conditions likely to continue through the race, they all have a chance to turn things around on Sunday, while Hamilton plans to control events from the front - whatever the weather throws at him.
Japanese Grand Prix grid
1. HAMILTON McLaren
2. ALONSO McLaren
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
4. MASSA Ferrari
5. HEIDFELD BMW
6. BUTTON Honda
7. WEBBER Red Bull
8. VETTEL Toro Rosso
9. KUBICA BMW
10. FISICHELLA Renault
11. KOVALAINEN Renault
12. COULTHARD Red Bull
13. TRULLI Toyota
14. LIUZZI Toro Rosso
15. SCHUMACHER Toyota
16. ROSBERG Williams*
17. BARRICHELLO Honda
18. WURZ Williams
19. DAVIDSON Super Aguri
20. SUTIL Spyker
21. SATO Super Aguri
22. YAMAMOTO Spyker
* after 10-place engine change penalty
Quote from www.itv.com/f1 (http://www.itv.com/f1)
http://www.itv-f1.com/images/static/spacer.gifhttp://www.itv-f1.com/ImageLibrary/44919_1.jpg (javascript:openwin('Popups/Photo.aspx?IM_ID=44919','',770,550,'yes');) Lewis Hamilton produced a sensational last gasp lap at a slippery Fuji and grabbed a vitally important pole position from his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso.
With just two points between them in the championship showdown and Alonso having inexorably gained ground on Hamilton in recent weeks, the British rookie knew how significant this pole position could be - and celebrated it like a victory on his slowing down lap.
It had not looked so promising for Hamilton earlier in qualifying.
Despite fears that the low cloud would force the session to be postponed, qualifying began on time but in treacherously wet conditions.
While Alonso and Felipe Massa traded fastest times in Q1, Hamilton was shuffled right down to 18th and looked to be in real danger of missing the cut until hauling himself up to a safe fourth with his last run.
Having found his feet, Hamilton then led the way in Q2, beating Alonso to the fastest time by half a tenth.
With conditions only marginally improved by the time Q3 began, it looked for a long time like the 1m25.539s lap that Alonso had set while still laden with fuel might stand as pole position.
Hamilton made an early stop for fresh intermediate Bridgestones, but was 0.243s slower than Alonso, and failed to improve with his next run.
Then with his last lap of the session Alonso improved his time by 0.101s, making the challenge even harder for Lewis.
With Hamilton making a very late final pit visit for a slightly worn set of intermediates, Kimi Raikkonen appeared to be Alonso's main rival for pole, but disrupted by traffic and a slight gearbox problem, the Ferrari was 0.078s slower.
Down in fourth place, the pressure was on Hamilton as he crossed the line to start an all-or-nothing lap just before the chequered flag.
He set the fastest time of all in the first sector, extended his margin over Alonso to 0.2s in the middle third (where Raikkonen had been fastest of all), and then did just enough in the last split to snatch pole by 0.070s despite having to swerve around a slower-moving car on the pits straight.
Behind the all-McLaren front row, the Ferraris claimed third and fourth - Raikkonen 0.2s clear of Massa.
Wet conditions always give underdog heroes a chance to surprise, and in Japan it was renowned rain ace Jenson Button and Toro Rosso rookie Sebastian Vettel who rose to the occasion.
While Rubens Barrichello could only manage 17th even in the wet, Button hustled the Honda up to seventh behind Nick Heidfeld and Nico Rosberg - and with the Williams set to drop to 16th due to an engine change penalty, Jenson will start a season-best sixth.
Vettel started qualifying with a quick spin but regained his composure to surge through Q1 and Q2 with ease - giving Toro Rosso its first ever top ten start.
He was ninth fastest, behind Mark Webber, and just four tenths of a second from a top five spot.
Robert Kubica completed the top ten, lapping 0.7s slower than Heidfeld in the second BMW.
It was a bad day for last year's Japanese Grand Prix winner Renault, as Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen struggled to 11th and 12th, ahead of David Coulthard and Jarno Trulli - the Italian's run of nine top ten starts coming to an end.
Vitantonio Liuzzi was out-classed by team-mate Vettel, lapping a second slower in Q2 and remaining 15th.
Ralf Schumacher was responsible for the most spectacular incident of the session, as he tripped over Sakon Yamamoto at the chicane late in Q1.
The Toyota bounced off the Spyker and landed with heavy rear end damage, so even though Schumacher had made the cut for Q2, he would have to watch the session and stay in 16th.
The weather failed to change Alex Wurz's dismal qualifying form - he will start 18th in the second Williams.
Contrary to expectations, Anthony Davidson, Adrian Sutil and Takuma Sato didn't manage to out-perform their cars in the wet and will start in 19th, 20th and 21st.
Sato is part of an all-Japanese back row on home turf, alongside Yamamoto.
But with the unpredictable conditions likely to continue through the race, they all have a chance to turn things around on Sunday, while Hamilton plans to control events from the front - whatever the weather throws at him.
Japanese Grand Prix grid
1. HAMILTON McLaren
2. ALONSO McLaren
3. RAIKKONEN Ferrari
4. MASSA Ferrari
5. HEIDFELD BMW
6. BUTTON Honda
7. WEBBER Red Bull
8. VETTEL Toro Rosso
9. KUBICA BMW
10. FISICHELLA Renault
11. KOVALAINEN Renault
12. COULTHARD Red Bull
13. TRULLI Toyota
14. LIUZZI Toro Rosso
15. SCHUMACHER Toyota
16. ROSBERG Williams*
17. BARRICHELLO Honda
18. WURZ Williams
19. DAVIDSON Super Aguri
20. SUTIL Spyker
21. SATO Super Aguri
22. YAMAMOTO Spyker
* after 10-place engine change penalty